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This week 8 years ago I was in Paris on an art study trip jointly leading a group of students around the capital. I have visited Paris a number of times with each trip the city generously surrendering a new experience. The first time I went to Paris I was an art student and I remember vividly being overwhelmed by the Degas pastels in a darkened room at the Musée d'Orsay - so much so that I was moved to tears. This visit my discovery was how much closer the places I wanted to see were to each other and instead of taking the Metro I walked with my companion, stopping in between destinations for a coffee or beer so that we may voyeuristically watch Parisian life as it flowed by.  Not long after this trip I was to learn how important walking was to me. How it is more than just a means of getting from one place to another... The whole world understands this now too as we collectively face the pandemic that is Coronavirus and we are ordered by our governments not to leave our homes excepting for basic necessities. Thankfully, a couple of weeks before the government lock down I had moved to the countryside. From my present location you could be forgiven for thinking that all was well in the world. A perspective that is shattered as soon as a TV is switched on. From the outset, most days we have gone for a walk to explore our locale. In a newly planted field just up from me I made a discovery. Half way up the field I glanced down and noticed a fragment of pottery - intrigued I picked it up. I was surprised to find it as there are no houses nearby. Continuing to the end of the field I found numerous pieces. I'm afraid I think I have stumbled across what could become a new obsession.  Now that the lock down has been enforced, the daily permitted walk has become a vital part of our routine. It keeps us physically and mentally well, it unites us as a family and it reminds us more importantly of freedoms we all once took for granted, April photo diary |